Essay On Steve Prefontaine

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

-Steve Prefontaine

Bang!The gun went off as the last race Steve Prefontaine ran started. The crowd stood to their feet to support their favorite runner, Pre. Pre's people watched as he put everything he had into the race. No one thought that in just twelve hours this running legend would be silenced forever.(Crudup,2014 & Williams,2014 & Smith,2002 & Daring,1998)

January twenty-fifth, 1951, Coos Bay, Oregon. Steve Prefontaine was born to Ray and Elifried Prefontaine.(A&E Networks Television, 2014) Coos Bay is a small fishing town on the coast of Oregon. The men of Coos Bay were typically described as tough, a trait that Steve Prefontaine, would attain and apply to his running career.(Jordan,1997) When Pre was young he was often described as 'hyperactive'.(Jordan,1997)hyperactive meaning that he had a ginormous amount of energ.Although with his great energy, Pre didn't start running until he was a freshman in high school.(Daring, 2014)

In 1965 at Marshfield High, Steve Prefontaine ended the school year as second best in his team. (prefontainerun,1998)When the summer came Pre trained diligently for the next season of cross country, he ran early in the morning, and sometimes more than twice a day.(Jordan,1997) His hard work and determination paid off."It was at the district cross country meet his sophomore year that his potential to become an outstanding runner showed itself," said Pre's high school coach, Walt McClure. "We were against the defending state mile champion and the boy who would become the state high school champion. There was maybe a quarter mile left to go when this little guy in purple passed them (the group of runners leading the race) and took a short ...

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...oulevard and crashed into a rock wall. He died on May 30th, 1975. Many people were devastated with the news that the once un-beatable running legend had been beat forever.(Jordan,1997&Smith,2002)

When I was first asked about whom I would to my project on, my mind immediately flew to the name Steve Prefontaine. He is my hero, and is a hero for many others. Prefontaine may not have sacrificed his life but he influenced the entire world in a positive way. Pre taught the world what the words determination, sacrifice, courage, focus, and bravey meant, because he was all of those. Prefontaine was a normal guy, not some sort of athlete that we put above ourselves. He was a regular person who changed the world. So, yes, I think Steve Prefontaine is a hero. Because he influenced the world, and even thirty-nine years later, he continues to inspire lots of people.